i had a great weekend playing with The Tiki Bar. no grand changes, but a lot of spring cleaning and tinkering. i took my time and got to enjoy to enjoy a lot of the finer details of this place. theres been a lot of happy accidents throughout the evolution of the bar, and many of those have become my favorite elements. I took some pix too, and thought i'd share.

heres a view from the yard looking into the bar. the tiki theme has carried out to consume the whole backyard. i've got a new toy coming in next week, so i'll get pix of the yard up soon.
That cheap reed fencing that i used to thatch the roof was one the best discoveries i've made. I used it because it was so cheap and easy, but from the inside of the bar i'll show why i like it.
the roof is that 6' tall reed fencing sold at home depot and garden stores. i initially just had a single layer but wanted a bit more concealment of the structure supporting the beams. i added another layer so that when looking up, the view would be improved . the 2nd layer is what creates the cool shadow pattern on the floor and walls, so its really improved the view of the whole place.
the lighting changes as the day goes by, highlighting different areas at different times.
in the afternoon it shines through the rain wall and lights up the shipwreck artifacts. the sunset picture high on the wall finally gets the late afternoon sun. as the sun sets behind the neighbors roof, the sunset pic get the last rays of light as well.

i hadnt enjoyed that little detail for a while because the Ivy had overgrown the whole roof. i've removed over half of it, and had some fun winding the ivy back around where i wanted it. I'll admit to being pretty lucky having a climate where the bar can be outdoors year round.
I've seen that same reed fencing used in many other bars on this site and wonder if anyone else has tried doubling it up and using it for that effect.
Its just getting dark now, so i'm gonna take some night pix to show some other lighting tricks i've found.
be well!
Faztiki

Thanks Wayfarer, i'd considered the Teaky Bar, or Teek's Bar, or Teek's Teak Tiki Bar.
Teek is the name of the marionette/ guardian of the bar, so that just make sense.
hard part is getting anyone who comes over to bother calling it anything but The Tiki Bar. thinking i'll need to carve a little sign to make it official.

I'm hoping for some advice here. I've got a new toy to play with over the long weekend. it may be a lot of work, but the reward should be worth it. Circumstances are keeping me at home over the holiday, but i can always escape to miles and decades away just by walking out my back door!
I have friends who don't believe this hammock can be saved, so of course i'll need to prove them wrong. now i just need to figure out how...

the bamboo posts and poles have a lot of sun damage and old stain on them. I'm hoping theres a product to clean off the stain and something that might brighten the wood back to its original color? If they cant be restored, then i'd settle for re-staining them. i've never succeeded in staining bamboo without it quickly fading in the sun. is there a protectant that can help the color last in the sun?
The rattan of the hammock itself has the same old stain, but so many surfaces and hard-to-reach areas that sanding or even wiping any chemical on it seems impossible. i'd guess re-staining is the only option. the old stain can be rubbed off pretty easily though. coating with new stain seems like it would rub off just as easily and ruin your clothing. (with some of my friends, clothing is not optional...)
is there a sprayable product that can coat the hammock and all the hard-to-reach areas?

I'll have to replace the string that holds the edges of the hammock together. not sure if this should be done after staining, or if they should be coated together? the whole thing will flex a lot while using it, so more challenges keep coming to mind.
I've salvaged a few other types of wood before, but this is my first attempt with bamboo. any help would be greatly appreciated and rewarded (one hammock ride and beverage per posting).

oh, i also dropped a few bills at Oceanic Arts over the weekend, so thanks to TikiFarm i now have to build another shelf! and thanks to Sir Pupu Pants and Taboo Dan and all you other master craftsmen out there i'm now insired to upgrade a few areas i had considered 'done' before. thanks to everyone who keeps raising the bar on this website!!
be well, Faztiki

The grass is always greener on the other side...
i've always enjoyed the best seat in the house at my bar, the one behind the bar mixing drinks and looking out upon the merry faces. Since upgrading my wireless connection i'm finding myself out there at all times of day and sitting at the counter looking INTO the bar. well, this new view has just created ten more projects for me.
heres some pix of the part i'm most excited about.
first, heres the problem. i painted the ceiling as a temp fix years ago and then forgot how ugly it is. I decided to screen the ceiling with the same reed fencing that is used throughout the bar.
heres the solution. since attaching reed fence to the ceiling could be done easily, i decided to go another route and spend days and days routering wooden beams to support the stuff.
I've been playing around with different finishes, but will likely skip the lacquer or staining. i love the wire-brush on burnt wood finish. redwood grain really stands out.
the fun parts...
the light rope inside is held in place in the groove, but that also hides the rope itself from view, so its only indirect light that is visible. this is still too bright for my liking so i'm switching to a rope with the 'chase' feature, where the bulbs flicker on and off so only half are lit at any time, and without seeing the bulbs i'm hoping the whole thing appears to flicker rather than chase in a pattern.

i wouldn't have thought up this project without the motivation from other TC'ers. here's my 'shout out' to my favorite bar on this site so far. anyone recognize this pattern? I'll pour a Pirate's Torch for the first ten guesses.

there is a wider third beam for the center of the ceiling. just stenciled the design tonight. I'm learning how to carve this stuff as i go so it may be weeks before the ceiling is done. hopefully i'll be posting pix of a finished project some day soon...

Hey Faz, great, great job. Genius way to incorporate the lighting. No doubt your place is going to be a creative inspiration to others.
The process really is at least half the fun, isn't it?
Have a great weekend!
John (Mr. Pupu Pants)

Hey Faztiki, Just like you said you have been inspired by some of the people on here, well, you too are doing alot of inspiring!!
Great job on your place!! it looks awesome and I am jealous of your outdoor space! I am hoping to have my Lounge done soon but until then I will drool over yours!

Love your new lighted beams!! What a cool idea! They are great and you are doing a very good job with your routing and woodworking!!
Keep it coming and many Mahalo's to you!!

well, 9:00 and its too late to make any more noise out in the workshop, but i'm too excited about the way the latest project is coming together to quit thinking about it. so... pictures!
i guess just a couple will show what i've done tonight. I'm still working on the ceiling of the bar. these beams will support the thatch. the two finished beams at the outside, the wider one in the center. the design for that center beam underwent a half-dozen changes from drawing board to carving. i burned through a whole eraser because i just couldnt decide until sketching each design onto the beam. i think i've found the right design, though, only because it went from vision to drawing to carved in just a day and a half.

also received the 'chasing light ropes' with a controller that can vary the flashing of the lights and the intensity, even able to make it flash to music or voices. noveltylights.com has a pretty good deal on them, and cuts them to whatever length you want.

all thats left to do is a bit more router work, staining, burning and scraping, finishing, attach the lights, cut the thatch, hang the thing up, and then put the whole bar back together! ummm, thats actually a lot of work, but i'm pushing it hard this weekend. i better recruit some help. (although that usually just leads to drinks and planning ten new projects...)

I've always loved trying to hide light sources in unique ways, there is something very atmospheric about indirect illumination. I never thought of hiding the light in the ceiling beams, That is some brilliant work.
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